A SALTY DOG

Strangely, this is the only album review in which I'm in complete agreement with all of PA's reviewers and collaborators, so I'll keep it short. The title track is easily Porcol Harum's, and composer Garry Brooker's, finest achievement. "All hand's on deck, we've run afloat.." from lyricist Keith Reid and we're off to see "how far can sailors fly." The beautiful orchestral arrangement, composed completely by Brooker, who has no classical training, is heart rendering, with it's emotive crescendos and swirling strings.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album drags in comparison. Two bluesy songs co-writted by Robin Trower are good, "Juicy John Pink" and "Crucifixion Lane", as is the Brooker penned "The Milk of Human Kindness." Mathew Fisher's attempts to equal Brooker in songwriting are worthy, but are torpedoed by being sung by Fisher himself. This worked well for Trower, who sang "Crucifixion Lane" as a John Lee Hooker-like blues singer, but Fisher just lacks the emotion, power and range of Brooker and the album would have been better served if Brooker sang Fisher's compositions. "The Wreck of the Hesperus' and "Pilgrim's Progress", himself.

Sometimes groups can be too democratic. 3 stars.